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As you work on your English, sooner or later you might come across some odd phrases that don’t make any sense in your language. See, how would you react if your friend told you to ‘break your leg’ before the day of your IELTS exam? Probably, you would think this person is only pretending to be your friend. Doing an exam with a broken leg in plaster isn’t really funny.

However, such groups of words in English have hidden meanings, and we call them ‘idioms’. As a rule, such meanings aren’t clear when reading the words literally. Good news, there’s no need to be scared when someone wishes you to ‘break your leg’ because they are actually wishing you good luck in English. Now you can see how confusing idioms can be! They can mean the total opposite of what they seem to mean.

Why are they helpful? Well, textbooks don’t usually teach you how to use idioms, but if you use them in conversations, it can show how skilled you are in English. Look at the public IELTS Speaking band descriptors. If you aim to score band 7 and more, you have to make use of idiomatic vocabulary.

Although using idiomatic language is important in the IELTS speaking exam, it must sound natural. You have to be comfortable with it. So, be very careful with using idioms, and don’t use a lot of them. We have prepared 20 idioms for you to learn about and when they can be used. Think about how you can use these idioms to talk about yourself and which questions they could be used to answer.

If two people are like chalk and cheese, they are completely different from each other.

The players like the coach because he’s down to earth and honest with them.

She had different interests, and we stupidly thought of her as a black sheep of the family.

If the places is off the beaten track, it’s a quiet and unusual place, not known or popular with many people.

We wanted to find a camping site that was a little bit off the beaten track.

If something is a whole new ball game, it’s a completely different situation, often one that is difficult or that you know little about.

We’d done a lot of climbing in Scotland but the Himalayas were a whole new ballgame.

If someone does something as if there was no tomorrow, they do it with no regard for the future consequences.

Americans at home continue to consume oil supplies as is there was no tomorrow.

One evening, Angela phoned me out of the blue and said she was in some kind of trouble.

It describes something that is happening very early in the morning, especially at the time when the sun first appears.

We use this idiom to say that someone works or does other things from early in the morning until late at night and so get very little rest.

Back in the twenties, the Millay sisters were known in New York society for burning the candle at both ends.

If someone lands something, they successfully acquire something, such as a job or piece of information.

The economy is still in terrible shape—I haven’t been able to land a job for months.

Use this idiom to describe the situation when someone has just enough money to pay for the things that they need.

It’s not easy to make ends meet with a big family, but somehow we manage.

To the best of my knowledge, the chemicals which were found are not dangerous.

Something that is like clockwork runs easily, automatically, and always in the same way.

When we use this idiom, we are saying to someone not matter what, rain or shine, regardless of the circumstances, it will be done.

Every morning at about 5am, come rain or shine, James leaves his home on his morning run.

It wasn’t the best game I’ve ever seen. But, all things considered, it wasn’t too bad either.

If something is at the back of your mind, you are aware of it, though it is not the main thing you are thinking about.

Whenever I park in the city, the fear of being towed is always at the back of my mind.

IELTS is an exam that tests your ability to communicate, listen, read and write in English in less than three hours, to be precise, in 2 hours and 45 minutes. It consists of four sections:

Usually, speaking is tested a day before or on the day of the whole test after Listening, Reading and Writing. It depends on the center and on you, as while registering for the exam you can choose convenient dates. The testing center offers to take Speaking on the same day or separately (but not always).

It should be noted that all candidates take the Speaking and Listening sections at the same time, regardless of which test module they choose General or Academic. The tasks are the same for all candidates. This usually happens in one large room or hall.

After listening, you do Reading and Writing without leaving the room. The tasks in your paper, if you, for example, take General IELTS, will be different from the tasks of another candidate who takes Academic IELTS. However, you will still not know about it, as you are not allowed to talk to each other during the test.

LISTENING

Listening is the first written part of the exam. The audio recordings are played only once. They contain various accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand, American and Canadian.

You will have to write your answers in the question paper while listening, and at the end of the test you are given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. When transferring answers onto the answer sheet, you should be very careful as your wrong spelling and grammar will be taken into account and affect the overall score.

In total, there are four tasks of ten questions each. The questions are structured in such a way that the answers are displayed in the order in which they sound in the audio. The first two tasks deal with situations that occur in everyday social contexts. The other two are situations that occur in educational and learning contexts.

SPEAKING

This part of the exam tests your ability to communicate in English. The examiner will record your conversation. It lasts not more than 10–15 minutes. This part of the test consists of three tasks.

Task 1. In this part, the examiner introduces himself/herself and checks the identity of the candidate. The examiner will give you some general questions about yourself and a number of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, training, and interests. This part of the test lasts four to five minutes.

Task 2.The examiner will give you a task card in which you have to talk about a specific topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking. Your monologue should last one to two minutes. After two minutes, the examiner will stop you. He/she will then ask one or two questions about the same topic.

Task 3. The examiner will ask additional questions about the topic of the previous task. You will have the opportunity to analyze and discuss the problem more deeply, to justify your opinion. This part of the test lasts four to five minutes.

READING

The Reading section consists of 40 questions that test a wide range of reading skills. These include understanding general ideas, details, finding information in the text, understanding logical arguments and attitudes, views and goals of the authors.

The IELTS General Training exam contains abstracts from books, magazines, newspapers, announcements, advertisements, reference books, and manuals, i.e. materials you would meet every day if you lived or worked in an English-speaking environment.

IELTS Academic contains three long texts that range from descriptive and factual to discursive and analytical. These are the texts from coursebooks, periodicals, magazines and newspapers, i.e. suitable for people entering universities or those who wish to pursue further studies or research.

WRITING

You will have 60 minutes to complete this part of the exam. There are 2 tasks in each exam module.

Task 1. You will be given a situation, and have to write a letter requesting additional information or explaining the situation. The letter can be personal, semi-formal or formal in style. Write at least 150 words.

Task 2. Write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or a problem. The essay can be quite personal in style. At least 250 words.

For IELTS Academic Training, the tasks cover general topics and are suitable for students entering undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Task 1. You will see a graph, chart or diagram and you will need to describe, summarize or explain the information in your own words. For example, you need to describe and explain the data, describe the stages in the process, how something works, or describe the object or event.

It should be written in academic or semi-formal/neutral styles and cover the most important points. Some minor details can be omitted. Write at least 150 words.

Task 2. Write an essay regarding a point of view, argument, or problem. Use formal style. At least 250 words.

There are thousands of resources for both IELTS Academic writing tasks that you can make good use of. Also, there are plenty of model answers but it does not mean that your practice should include memorising them as examiners can easily spot such answers and you will risk having your entire test rendered invalid.

What to do to improve your writing skills and practice for the exam? Take a look at some of our advice, and you’re sure to ace the IELTS writing test.

Understand the requirements for both tasks

The IELTS examiners use detailed performance descriptors when assessing your writing. They include:

Task achievement means you answer the question. Coherence and cohesion means you structure your essay in paragraphs, and even the paragraphs within themselves. Lexical resource means vocabulary. Grammatical range and accuracy means that you use wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy.

You can check British Council’s website to read Task 1 and Task 2 requirements in detail.

Start practicing as early as possible

Take one sample question per day and write your answer. Luckily, there is a huge selection of IELTS Writing questions for you on the Internet. By doing so, you will learn about the test format, types of tasks, review your answers and compare them with model answers.

IELTS Academic offers practice questions and sample answers for Task 1 and Task 2.

IELTS.org has downloadable Academic Writing sample with answer sheets and examiner comments.

ESL Lounge has a range of exercises that give good practice of what you will face in the IELTS examination.

Always make an outline

If you want to keep focused as you write and save your time, it is necessary to make an outline of your essay or graph description. If you organize your ideas, you will also know what language you should use to complete the task.

The outline of the introduction should include a thesis sentence or important points to include (e.g. in Task 1 write what information someone should know about these charts/graphs/diagrams.). For the body paragraphs, your outline only needs to reflect the main topic for the paragraph, the evidence to be used, and, if appropriate, how it supports your thesis statement. There is no need to write an outline of the conclusions because restate your arguments and do not present any new ideas.

Focus on language

As you prepare for the IELTS exam, you should be working to build your vocabulary for a variety of topics. To get a high score you need to show the examiner a range of different words.

First of all, write down all the new words and phrases you read in the sample essays. Incorporate them into your writing as you feel comfortable and as they are appropriate. This way, you will improve your vocabulary through the practice course.

Secondly, learn some vocabulary to describe trends and key features in Task 1. IELTS Liz has created a list of verbs and nouns, adjectives and adverbs as well as time phrases you can use while writing your response. Learn vocabulary to describe graphs, maps and linking words to write essays.

Use online tools that will help you check your grammar and spelling. Hemingway App, Grammarly, After the Deadline, and ProWritingAid are only a few to name that can help you identify the most common mistakes you make. They will be helpful if you are going to take a computer version of the test. You should look for small mistakes in spelling and grammar. The more mistakes you make, the lower your score will be, so best ensure you make as little as possible.

You are assessed on your ability to use correct and appropriate grammar and on the range of sentence types that you produce. If you do not have much time to prepare or have already completed the preparation course, check IELTS-exam.net for grammar exercises.

IELTSbuddy offers explanations and exercises that will highlight some specific things related to IELTS so you can see how they are relevant.

Although IELTS does not have a separate section on exam for grammar, you will need to have an excellent grammar to get a high score. IELTS worldwide has a list of grammar issues you will have to review for IELTS.

Learn to punctuate correctly. It helps your readers to follow and understand your message, in the same way that using pauses and intonation help your listeners while you are speaking, and it matters for your score!

Don’t forget about timing and word count

Always practice writing on the answer sheet. It will help you know the amount of words you write on one sheet, and you will not need to do the word count on the day of the exam and waste your time on it.

Remember to spend not more than 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2 as you prepare.

Self-preparation for IELTS includes working on all parts of the test. Where and how can one better get ready for IELTS Reading?

Both IELTS tests, academic and general, check different reading skills, such as reading for gist, understanding main ideas, details, recognizing authors’ attitudes, how the argument develops in the text, and so on.

IELTS uses different texts to test these skills. You can see such texts as articles from periodicals, professional magazines, books and newspapers at IELTS Academic. Texts related to daily life, work and general interests, such as announcements, booklets, leaflets, handbooks, notes, newspaper and magazine articles could be seen at IELTS General.

We suggest using a number of resources to develop your English reading skills. These materials are very well suited as samples for IELTS Reading.

IELTS Reading Lessons

Reading Practices from IELTSLiz will help you familiarize yourself with the texts and tasks for IELTS Reading. These are not test samples but lessons designed specifically for reading practice. There are lessons for different levels with different types of tasks and answers to them.

IELTSBuddy offers a series of lessons that cover all types of questions you might encounter in the IELTS Academic test. Each lesson includes reading with 600 to 800 words, questions and answer keys.

IELTS-up offers a series of lessons and reading exercises. This site also has IELTS Reading practice tests.

Useful websites

In addition to doing IELTS practice tests or lessons, you should regularly read in English. Of course, do not limit yourself to IELTS hands-on materials. Reading English newspapers and magazines is a great way to develop reading skills. Many texts for IELTS Reading have been selected from the following sources.

IELTS Practice Reading Tests

IELTS Online Tests.com offers a few good trial tests of IELTS Reading. Most candidates take General IELTS, but you may need Academic IELTS for certain professions and university programs. IELTS General Training and IELTS Academic Training can be practiced on this site.

TakeIELTS is an official website of the British Council, where you can take a reading test. Just choose general or academic. You will have 1 hour to complete all 3 sections of the IELTS Reading section.

IELTS-Exam is a test sample resource for all IELTS skills. Also on this site you will be able to take the Mock Test, which will not only introduce you to the IELTS format, but also give you an idea of how you will take the test. In one hour, you will pass a full test, which will improve your time management skills and identify realistic expectations of your potential results.

The essay is the second task in the Writing section, regardless of whether you take IELTS Academic or General. It usually takes about 40 minutes to write. Remember that you will need to write at least 250 words.

Questions to be answered in the essay (keyword – answer (!)) are very diverse: from questions about education, health care, gender roles to youth, environmental protection, i.e. almost everything you can write about and discuss. What does it mean? It’s quite simple. There is no magic sentence that can be inserted into any essay, and most likely, on the day of the exam you will not “get” a question that can be used to answer it. Even if this is the case, using a few simple steps will allow you to write the piece and get a good score.

Most of those who take the exam think that the most important thing in writing an essay is to kill the examiner outright with fanciful words, so-called ‘posh words’, and incomprehensible phrases. If you think so too, we will disappoint you: this is the worst way to write an essay.

STEP 1. ANALYSE THE QUESTION

It is important to understand what the task is. You will need to express your opinion or offer some solutions, describe the advantages and disadvantages of something, agree with some opinion or disagree with it, etc. In any case, read carefully what is required from you.

Unless you read the question carefully, you will not be able to define its type or define it incorrectly. It is also not necessary to write in a general context. Each task has tooltips: keywords, micro-keywords, and instruction words. Keywords indicate a general topic, micro-keywords specify the subject of the essay, and instruction words define its type.

In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. You should write at least 250 words.

Words in blue indicate the general topic – young people finishing high school and starting university studies – no need to write about it (!). If you write about it, you will not answer the question.

Words highlighted in green are the subject of our essay – work or travel: young people who decide to do this. But that is not enough, we need to look at the instruction words highlighted in red: discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

Here you need to be clear about what are the advantages or disadvantages. If the benefits outweigh, write the reasons why, also write why the disadvantages are not significant. If you describe only the advantages, you will not fully answer the question.

STEP 2. PLAN YOUR ANSWER

Writing an essay without a plan is like using a cool gadget without instruction. When it breaks, it will be too late. In the case of writing an essay, even if you write a good introduction, then you simply run the risk of getting lost and will end up missing the time to finish it, or start generalizing, or the text of the essay will be incoherent or lack logical consistency, and etc., which cannot but affect your score.

Imagine that your plan is a map you will use to move around the area (the text of your essay). That is why every sentence is a step that brings you closer to your destination and it has a purpose. All sentences in your essay should be thought out and related.

Some teachers and tutorials on IELTS preparation suggest that you handle the first assignment with brainstorming. Another effective way is to answer the question directly.

In the case of our essay, for example: Why are the advantages of working and travelling before starting university studies are stronger? Why are the disadvantages weak?

The advantages of working and travelling before starting university studies are stronger because it gives more opportunities to decide about the place of getting further education, to try working in different fields and to take the final decision about your future career.

The disadvantages are that you waste time while others obtain education, but this is a weak argument, because you get valuable experience demanded by most of the employers.

Next, we organize our ideas into a structure. This will help us further make the text of the essay coherent.

As we already know, there are several types of essays, and each will have its own structure. In general, it should look like this:

Another common problem faced by those writing the essay is the repetition of the same words, especially the words in the question, over and over again. This lowers the vocabulary rating because it indicates ignorance of synonyms.

The solution to this problem may be to identify words in a question that can be used more than once. Example:

In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

The more you learn to plan during the preparation for the exam, the better and faster you will write and this will cause every sentence in your essay to have a purpose, which is exactly what the examiner wants.

STEP 3. WRITE YOUR ESSAY

Before you begin writing the essay, remind yourself that IELTS does not check how good you are at the subject area. There is no right or wrong answer to the essay question. All tasks include open-ended questions, i.e. you need to discuss it and express your opinion.

To pass IELTS successfully, you will need good handwriting skills (if you are uncomfortable to write with a pencil, choose the computer version). Consider this when preparing for the exam, i.e. practice handwriting or typing on the keyboard (just do not use auto-correction of text, as spelling matters when evaluating your essay).

Keep in mind the minimum number of words – at least 250, the more – the better (in average 260-280). Counting words on the exam day is a waste of precious time. Therefore, we recommend preparing for the essay, using the official answer sheets. This will help you quickly estimate the number of words. During your preparation, you can count the average number of words you get per page. On the day of the exam, you will not have to spend time on it.

IELTS is about using an academic / formal writing style. Avoid using slang. Write in complete sentences, pay attention to punctuation. In the academic essay, it is necessary to:

As you can see, it will take time to prepare for writing an essay. Even so, learning how to analyze a task and plan your answer will save you time during the exam and make you feel confident. You should practice regularly and try your best, gradually creating conditions that are similar to real testing conditions, limiting yourself strictly to 40 minutes and writing your answers with a pencil or using the keyboard.

If you are preparing or just thinking of taking IELTS, you have probably wondered what to listen to get ready it? Let’s be honest: you don’t need to listen to everything. Let’s start with what IELTS Listening is. There are 40 questions and you have 40 minutes. No matter which module you take general or academic you will hear 4 audio tracks in the following order:

Knowing what awaits you at the exam makes it much easier to prepare. Here are some good tips on how to listen.

Listen purposefully. Imagine arriving at the airport an hour ago for a departing flight. Now, can you remember what has been said in all the announcements for the last hour? Of course, you will not be able to do this, because we only hear the information regarding our own flight. That is what purposeful listening is about: to have a purpose in terms of what information we want to receive. In preparing for the exam, each of the ten questions in each part of the IELTS Listening should be analyzed before listening.

Mini-IELTS is a good resource for practicing listening to everyday topics. It brings together videos and audios on a variety of topics, such as education, recreation and hobbies, nature, news, science and technology, health and sports with tasks to accomplish.

ESL Lab is a collection of daily dialogues with voices of adults and children on all sorts of topics. The materials are divided by levels. There are tasks and keys to them, as well as audio scripts.

TED&IELTS Listening Practice is a great mix of TED Talks with tasks to do while listening. It is suitable for those who are tired of sapless talks and boring lectures and is looking for an alternative to practice listening to monologues on academic and everyday topics. There are also answers you can check on your own.

TED Ed is an official TED resource that has many interesting lectures, tutorials and whole series of lessons in various subjects such as history, sociology, biology, geology, medicine and more. You can listen and watch lectures in Student mode and answer questions in the Think section, and discuss what you hear in the Discuss section.

Get used to various accents. Unlike TOEFL, candidates in the IELTS test can hear different accents, from regional British to North American and accents from Southern hemisphere such as the Australian and South African ones. This is due to the fact that more and more English-speaking countries are recognizing the exam for immigration purposes. Try to notice any differences in pronunciation. Vowels are especially likely to be different. Just don’t go into deep analysis – it’s a job for a professional linguist. Your goal is to get acquainted with each accent. This will allow you to be prepared and not to get puzzled when you hear them in the IELTS test.

The largest collection of dialects and accents can be found in the IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive), which was created in 1998 as the first on-line archive of primary sources of English-speaking dialects and accents heard worldwide. It has about 1500 samples from 120 countries and territories and over 170 hours of records. IDEA is currently the largest archive of its kind. IDEA records are mainly in English, by native speakers, and include both English dialects and English spoken with accents of other languages. In the Test your comprehension section, you can test how well you understand different accents with scripts.

AdeptEnglish іs a podcast section where you will find a large collection of interesting and FREE lessons and audio podcasts in full English-language transcription in PDF format.

Learn English also offers a tasks for listening by level. Before you start , you will take a test to find out which level to choose. Next, choose your level, from beginner (CEFR A1 level) to advanced (CEFR C1 level), and refine your listening skills at your own pace and convenience.

Practice correct spelling. Spelling is also important in this part of IELTS. There may be several spellings in English of for example names. In IELTS Listening Task 1, you will need to complete personal information such as first name, surname, address, and this is the most common question type for this part of the test. Revise your spelling several times, paying particular attention to the mistakes most commonly encountered in your language group. The same applies to numbers, such as the zip code or phone number you will need to write down at the exam.

Spelling Practice for IELTS Listening from IELTSLiz will help you prepare for this type of question. Here you can practice spealling city and country names, numbers and surnames.

Exam Word are online exercise for spelling words from IELTS word lists. The tool is very smart and corrects your mistakes.

Do you know what one should do to fail IELTS Speaking? We have prepared a list of the most common mistakes candidates must be aware of and avoid on the day of the exam.

It is fine if you think for a few seconds before speaking, but being silent for longer than five seconds may not be to your advantage. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem: while you are thinking, say, “That’s a good question …” or, “Wow, I really haven’t thought about that before …”

If you think the best way to succeed in IELTS Speaking is to cram the answer, you will be disappointed. The memorized answers are quite obvious, and examiners are specially trained to recognize them. You will not only lose your scores, but you will also get more complex questions from the examiners, that will allow to test your English speaking skills and define your real level.

but if your answers are too short or you just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, a low score is guaranteed! In this part of the test, it is important to give more detail! Provide the examiner with enough information to make your interaction more like a live conversation.

If you are asked, for example, “Where are you from?” the answer “Lviv” will not be enough. Better say: “Lviv, which is one of the major cities in Ukraine. It’s wonderful place, with a lot to see and do.” As a rule, 2-4 sentences are enough.

However, if you use the same word over and over again, the examiner will think that you have limited vocabulary. Here is an example:

‘It was an interesting experience because I met interesting people and we did interesting things.’

‘It was an interesting experience because I met amusing people and we did fun things.’

Don’t be a parrot! In the wild, a parrot is a bird that can mimic but it does not understand human language. In IELTS, ‘a parrot’ is a candidate who repeats the question in the form of a statement. For example:

By all IELTS criteria, it rewards those who are able to vary the language. Paraphrasing words or question structures is the fast track to a higher score. It is better to answer, “Most of all I like cooking borsch” or “I often cook borsch because I love it most of all”.

Many candidates tend to deviate from the question in the midst of the exam. Talking more is not the same as saying right. Remember that questions are usually direct and simple and do not require more than 3-4 sentences to answer. The main thing is to answer the question, not to say much.

Some candidates, having read reviews and tips on the Internet, believe in the fact that speaking well means the examiner agrees with your opinion. Some even ask the examiners questions. There is nothing further than the truth. The examiner will politely redirect the question back to you if you try to kill the clock by saying, for example, “I don’t know. What do you think?” Examiners are not interested in your opinion; they just want you to demonstrate your speaking skills. Focus on answering the question and doing it grammatically correct.

This is not what we meant. Many candidates think that they need to show the examiners how good their grammar is to get high marks. Again, the danger is that you try to use grammar that you are not 100% sure of and then lose control of the sentence. As you prepare for the exam, familiarize yourself with expressions that help you express and contrast opinions, emphasize your ideas, etc.

You have to insert very long, complicated words in each sentence to get a high test score. Isn’t it cool? Not at all. If you listen to native speakers, it just won’t happen unless you’re at a conference of university professors. The truth is that you really should try to show the examiner that you have a range of vocabulary, but you should not try to use words that you do not quite understand. If you are trying to use complicated words that you do not quite understand, it is very likely that you will make a lot of mistakes and lose your points. If you are not 100% sure about the meaning and form of the word, do not use it.

IELTS Writing is assessed by specially trained examiners.

There are four criteria using which they assess writing papers — they are given below. Each of them makes up 25 % of the final score.

To find out what each of these criteria mean, click on IELTS Writing criteria.

To understand how they are applied in practice, click on An essay assessed using the criteria. There will be a task, an essay, a general comment on each criterion and some remarks inside the essay.

IELTS Writing criteria
An essay assessed using the criteria

how well your essay answers all parts and questions in the task
whether you write exactly what you are asked to do (relevant ideas)
whether ideas in your essay are fully developed
whether your position is clear
whether you have written a minimum number of words (250 for the essay)

The essay generally focuses on the task and answers both questions. The ideas are mostly relevant (on topic). On the whole, there are enough details to explain the ideas, which makes them supported and developed. However, there are some too general or irrelevant parts, and that’s why the author’s position is not always clear and some ideas could be better explained.

Many students today prefer to play computer games rather than sports. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done?

Students play computer games around the world. It has become an enormous obsession and there are a lot of problems connected with it. In this essay, I’d like to say why this is happening and how we can change this situation.

There are several reasons for teenagers to play on a computer instead of doing sports. For one thing, virtual reality is obviosly more facinating, especially for young people. Bright colours, special effects, all those interactive glasses are really interesting. Also, unlike sports where you have to work hard to achieve something, in the virtual world everything possible: you can be hero or a monster, destroy city and build new, and there will be no bad situations after that. It’s hard not to play, really.

Even though computer games are so irresistible, they are not really helpful. First of all, young people often hear why games are bad from their parents and teachers, but I think it would be more better if we stress positive sides of sports instead. There should be more youtube videos showing benefits of sport for your body and mind, maybe with some celebrities. Also, it is important to help students to study better and get better marks. And, of course, we need much more free sport events for students.

To sum up, I think, teenagers prefer games over sports, because they are very interesting, and in games you can do things which are impossible in real life. However, I believe sports should be promoted by positive advertisment and free sport events.

291 words

how logically your ideas are organised
how well you organise your essay into paragraphs
how effectively your ideas are linked

On the whole, this essay is well-organised, with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Ideas are, generally, connected effectively, using: — linking words and phrases, such as For one thing, Also, First of all, but, of course, To sum up, However; — grammar structures, such as Even though computer games seem so irresistible, they are not really helpful; and some other ways to connect ideas. However, some parts could be organised more logically, and linking words and phrases could be used more appropriately: Also, And, To sum up, For one thing.

Many students today prefer to play computer games rather than sports. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done?

291 words

whether you use a variety of vocabulary, including less common vocabulary
how appropriately you use vocabulary
whether the style of your language is appropriate

A variety of vocabulary is used, some of which is less common, for example: obviously more fascinating, interactive games special effects, the virtual world, irresistible, stress positive sides, showing benefits of sport. Vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task; however, there are some inappropriate uses: an enormous obsession, there will be no bad situations after that.

The style is mixed. Sometimes, it is formal and impersonal (There are several reasons for teenagers to play …, There should be more youtube videos showing …), but some language is informal: I’d like to say that, it’s hard not to play, really; and there are some examples of personal addressing.

There are some spelling mistakes.

Many students today prefer to play computer games rather than sports. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done?

Even though computer games are so irresistible, they are not really helpful. And there are ways to help students do more sports and play less computer games. First of all, young people often hear why games are bad from their parents and teachers, but I think it would be more better if we stress positive sides of sports instead. There should be more youtube videos showing benefits of sport for your body and mind, maybe with some celebrities. Also, it is important to help students to study better and get better marks. And, of course, we need more free sport events for students.

291 words

whether you use simple or complex structures
how accurately you use simple and complex structures

There is a mix of simple and complex sentences. There are many complex sentences joined by and, but, because, even though, which, unlike, if; and complex grammatical structures that are used correctly (present tenses, passives, -ing forms, infinitives).

At the same time, there are some mistakes (for example, use of articles, verb forms, comparatives and some others), but the reader can still understand the meaning.

Many students today prefer to play computer games rather than sports. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done?

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People take IELTS for various reasons — and they usually know what score they need. Some want to get an IELTS Certificate (this is probably the most common reason for taking the exam), while others plan to immigrate to an English speaking country or to work in an area where one needs a good command of English.

IELTS for education

If you are interested in studying abroad, remember that many universities around the world and almost all UK universities and colleges recognize the results of IELTS tests. You can find out who accepts IELTS here.

The UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are among the most popular destinations to go studying to after you obtain an IELTS certificate. If you want to become a student in the United Kingdom, you can take a look at opportunities for foreigners on the British Council’s website, and if you are interested in a master’s or doctoral program, then check at UCAS.

More than 3,300 higher education institutions and programs in the United States (Visiting Programs, Fulbright Scholarships, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D., MBA, etc.) take IELTS scores as confirmation of English proficiency.

IELTS is preferred and recognized by more than 290 educational institutions in Canada. Canada also offers numerous grants for international students and scholars, as well as for Canadians who study and conduct a research abroad. The Government of Canada, foreign governments, non-governmental and international organizations provide these grants and scholarships. For more information, check EduCanada.

Australia has the third largest number of international students in the world after the United Kingdom and the United States, despite the country’s population of only 23 million. This is not surprising considering that Australia has 7 of the top 100 universities in the world! In fact, with more than 22,000 courses in 1,100 educational establishments, Australia ranks above countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan, the eighth in the Universities 2012 U21 national higher education ranking. On the Australian Government’s official website for international students, you can find courses, institutions, and scholarships, read about Australia’s study and life, other students’ stories, and learn about Australian education.

If you are considering a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, it is best for you to take the IELTS academic test. General IELTS test is sufficient for non-degree programs. When choosing a college or university, check out which version of IELTS is right for you.

In order to become a foreign student, you will need to demonstrate that you are qualified and can successfully complete the English program. Therefore, you need to get a higher IELTS score for your master’s or doctoral degree.

To obtain a student visa, you need to get at least 6 out of 9 points in each section. Requirements for the number of IELTS points may vary depending on the institution. For admission to postgraduate or doctoral studies, a minimum score of at least 6.5 is required. This means a minimum of 6 points in all four IELTS sections.

For professional courses such as nursing, medicine, etc., IELTS scores are required to be a minimum of 7 points. A score of 7 means at least 6.5 points in each section: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking.

Many European universities also accept applicants with IELTS results other than mentioned above. For example, this website has a list of universities in Europe that accept foreign students with IELTS score of 5.0 to 7.0.

Whichever university you choose, bear in mind that in addition to IELTS, each university also has entrance exams that need to be prepared. We recommend visiting the program or the university website for more information on IELTS scores.

IELTS for employment

Proof of your English language skills is an important stage in obtaining a visa so you can work abroad. Language proficiency is a key to career success and is considered a valuable asset in addition to all other requirements in any job. If you are applying for a work visa, you must have an appropriate level of language skills, which means that you need to be able to speak not only basic spoken English.

For the UK, applicants must score at least 6.5 points for each of the four sections of the test (reading, speaking, listening and writing).

To work in Australia, test score 5 is considered to be “professional English”. A score of 6 means that the applicant is a “competent English speaker”.

In New Zealand, applicants must score a total score of 4 or higher in IELTS general or academic. They may also be asked to provide additional evidence of English proficiency, such as information about the countries in which they lived; their country of current residence, or knowledge of English in their family.

In Canada, applicants should contact the organization to which they wish to apply directly to clarify the requirements for IELTS scores. Employers and educational institutions usually set their own language requirements.

For all these countries, keep in mind that the minimum score requirements vary depending on the profession you choose. For some professions, candidates must score a minimum of 6 points in each of the sections of the test, whereas for teachers, for example, a minimum score of 7 is required.

Remember that IELTS is the first step to achieving your dream. If you decide to leave your home to study abroad, build a career or move to another country, IELTS certification will help you to open new horizons and other opportunities.

Many candidates ask the question about which IELTS to take. Therefore, it has already become “an age-old question.” The answer, in fact, is quite simple – it depends on what one needs an IELTS certificate for.

The easiest way to find out which test format is right for you is to ask directly where it is required, for example, at a university, at a visa center or at a place of future work. If the institution does not provide such information, take the other way round.

Let’s say, Natalia is preparing to enter a university in Australia. She wants to obtain a Master of Business Degree from Melbourne University. Although she graduated from a Ukrainian university, the University of Melbourne has requested an IELTS test. To apply for this Master’s program, she will need to take an Academic IELTS.

Helen was on a trip to Ontario last year and met the love of her life. Now she is thinking of immigrating to Canada to be with him. As a part of her immigration application, Helen must submit an IELTS General certificate.

Many will argue that Academic IELTS is appropriate for (prospective) university students applying for university admission and programs in which English is the language of study. However, that’s not all. Many professionals and job seekers may find that they also need an Academic IELTS certificate. One of the most common examples is working in the medical field. If you have a desire to become a healthcare professional in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, you should provide an Academic IELTS certificate.

For a wide variety of medical professions, such as a physician, nurse, pharmacist, and even a laboratory assistant, this version of the test is required. That is because unlike General IELTS, the academic exam allows candidates to demonstrate reading and writing skills that are not necessarily a part of the everyday communicative experience with native speakers of English. These skills are different from writing and reading for general purposes.

Therefore, Oleh, a dentist who wants to apply for registration with the Dental Council of Australia, will need to submit an IELTS Academic certificate. Another example: Oleh, who is temporarily in England with a work holiday visa, which allows him to get a job to secure himself while traveling, found a new job at an IT company in London. After the interview, the company asked Oleh to prove his proficiency in English. Now he needs to pass IELTS Academic.

The main reason for taking IELTS Academic is that university students and professional staff must have strong English language skills sufficient to understand texts in professional and scholarly journals, textbooks, and relevant periodicals. Academic IELTS uses texts taken directly from such sources to test comprehension skills. Similarly, the Writing section of this version uses topics that will be relevant in academic and professional settings. Writing skills are tested to ensure that candidates have sufficient skills to write an essay at a college or university.

On the other hand, those who take General IELTS come across the language found in advertisements, guides, magazines, messages, or topics that employees may encounter in employee manuals. The Writing section examines candidates’ ability to perform basic tasks: writing letters or simple essays, etc.

This version of the test is suitable for all types of employment and emigration, if you want to go to Canada, USA, Ireland, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and other English-speaking countries. For example, if you decide to obtain a residence permit in Australia to stay with your grandchildren when you retire, you will need to pass General IELTS. The General IELTS certificate is used not only for emigration. International corporations sometimes use General IELTS results to assess their employees’ level of English. Therefore, in some cases, you can use your certificate to get a job.

TYPES OF TASKS	HOW TO DO
Multiple choice	Choose the best answer from four options A, B, C, or D, or two answers from five options (A, B, C, D, or E) or three answers from seven options (A, B, C, D, E, F or G).
Identifying information	You will see a list of statements and a question: ‘Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?’ The answer options are ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘not given’. It is important to understand the difference between ‘false’ and ‘not given’. ‘False’ means that there is an opposite statement in the text; ‘Not given’ means that the statement is not confirmed and does not contradict the information in the text.
Identifying writer’s views/claims	You will see a list of statements and a question: ‘Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?’ The answer options are ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘not given’. It is important to understand the difference between ‘false’ and ‘not given’. ‘False’ means that there is an opposite statement in the text; ‘Not given’ means that the statement is not confirmed and does not contradict the information in the text.
Matching information	You have to find some information in the paragraph(s)/section(s) of the text and write the correct paragraph letter in the boxes on the answer sheet. You will need to look for specific details, such as the reason, description, comparison, summary, explanation.
Matching headings	You will see a list of headings. They are usually numbered with small Roman numbers (i, ii, iii, etc.) and refer to the general idea of a paragraph or part of text. You need to match the headings with the correct paragraphs.
Matching features	You have to match the statements or abstracts of information to a list.
Matching sentence endings	You are given the first half of a sentence based on the text. You need to choose the best way to complete it from the list of possible options.
Sentence completion	You have to complete the sentence with a given number of words taken from the text and write the answer in the answer booklet.
Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion	You will see a brief summary of a part of the text and you need to complete it with information from the text. The number of words is limited.
Diagram label completion	Label the diagram related to the description in the text. The number of words is limited.
Short-answer questions	You need to answer the question about the facts from text. The number of words is limited.

PROGRESS

LISTENING

Multiple choice

You will see a question and three possible answers, or the beginning of a sentence and three possible ways to complete it. You must choose one correct answer A, B or C.

Sometimes there are more possible answers, and the instructions to the task say that you need to select more than one answer. In this case, read the instructions very carefully to know how many answers you need.

Matching

You should match the numbered items from the listening with another list in the question paper.

Plan, map, diagram labeling

You should label the objects on a plan (for example, of a building), a map (for example, a part of a town) or a diagram (for example, a piece of equipment). Choose the answers from the list provided.

Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion

You have to fill in the gaps in the text, which is a summary of the listening. The summary itself focuses on the general idea/facts discussed in the audio recording. The number of words is limited, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’.

Sentence completion

Read the sentences that summarize the key information from all or part of the listening. Next, you need to fill in the gaps in each sentence using the information from the listening. The number of words is limited, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER’.

Short-answer questions

SPEAKING

READING

Multiple choice

Identifying information

Identifying writer’s views/claims

Matching information

Matching headings

Matching features

Matching sentence endings

Sentence completion

Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion

Diagram label completion

Short-answer questions

WRITING

Understand the requirements for both tasks

Start practicing as early as possible

Always make an outline

Focus on language

Don’t forget about timing and word count

IELTS Reading Lessons

Useful websites

IELTS Practice Reading Tests

STEP 1. ANALYSE THE QUESTION

STEP 2. PLAN YOUR ANSWER

STEP 3. WRITE YOUR ESSAY

IELTS for education

IELTS for employment